No. 2 Huskers Take on Kansas Tonight

This Week in Nebraska Volleyball

No. 2 Nebraska (10-0, 2-0 Big 12) vs.
Kansas (7-4, 1-1 Big 12)
Wednesday, Sept. 24 ? NU Coliseum ? 7 p.m.

Radio:  Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Twister 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com
Live Stats: Huskers.com
Live Video: Huskers.com (free video)
TV: NET Television (Ch. 12 and Ch. 112 in HD) and Live on CBS College Sports (DirecTV Ch. 613; DISH Ch. 152)

No. 2 Nebraska at Iowa State (9-4, 1-1 Big 12)
Saturday, Sept. 27 ? Ames, Iowa ? 6:30 p.m.

Radio: Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Twister 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on Huskers.com
Live Stats: Huskers.com
TV: Mediacom (tape-delayed in Iowa)

Lincoln -- Following a pair of wins over nationally ranked Kansas State and Texas, the Nebraska volleyball team returns to the NU Coliseum Wednesday, as the Huskers take on the Kansas Jayhawks. First set is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the match will be carried state-wide on NET Television (Ch. 12 and Ch. 112 in HD) and CBS College Sports with Larry Punteney and Kathi Weiskamp calling all of the action.

Fans can also listen to the match live across the state of Nebraska with John Baylor, Lindsay Peterson and Dani Busboom on the 25-station Husker Sports Network, including B107.3 FM in Lincoln and Twister 93.3 FM in Omaha, and on the Internet at Huskers.com. Wednesday’s match will also be video-streamed live for free on Huskers.com.

The Huskers took an important first step in the Big 12 race last week, knocking off No. 18 Kansas State in Manhattan on Wednesday and third-ranked Texas Saturday night to join Baylor (2-0) as the only unbeaten teams in Big 12 after the first week of conference action.

Saturday, the Huskers used strong efforts from their outside hitters to knock off No. 3 Texas, 3-1. The trio of Jordan Larson, Lindsey Licht and Tara Mueller  combined for 50 kills and 22 digs, including double-doubles from both Larson (19 kills, 11 digs) and Mueller (14 kills, 11 digs). Licht came through with a career-high 17 kills and hit .500, establishing personal bests in both areas.

Kansas (7-4, 1-1) comes to town off its best performance of the year, a five-set win over Iowa State on Saturday. In that match, KU rallied from a 2-0 deficit behind outside hitter Karina Garlington’s career-high 29 kills. The Jayhawks have won five of their last seven matches and have gone five sets in both of their Big 12 contests.

Worth Noting
?-Following Saturday’s win over No. 3 Texas, Nebraska Coach John Cook is 17-6 (.739) against top-five teams during his tenure at Nebraska, including 13-2 against top-five teams over the last four years.

?-The Huskers have won their last 76 home matches dating back to the 2004 season. It is the second-longest home win streak in NCAA volleyball history, trailing Penn State’s record of 87 set between 1995 and 2000.

?-Jordan Larson needs one more ace to break Val Novak’s school record of 161 career service aces. Larson has played significantly fewer matches than Novak. Larson will play her 111th match at Nebraska on Wednesday, while Novak played in 136 career matches.

?-Jordan Larson received her fourth career Big 12 weekly honor on Monday, as she was selected as the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week. She was selected as Defensive Player of the Week last season, and was the conference player of the week one time in each of her first two years at NU.

?-Two-time All-American Jordan Larson picked up a pair of double-doubles last week (21 kills and 10 digs vs. K-State; 19 kills and 11 digs vs. Texas). It was the first time she had double-doubles in consecutive matches since last October. In her career, the Huskers are 40-1 when Larson posts a double-double.

?-The Huskers had three double-doubles against Texas on Saturday, the first time that has happened since Oct. 31, 2006, when Rachel Holloway, Jordan Larson, Sarah Pavan and Christina Houghtelling all had double-doubles against Missouri.

?-The Huskers’ five wins over ranked opponents is the most by any team in the country, as the Huskers and Stanford are the only teams with at least three wins over ranked teams. The Huskers are also the only  Big 12 team this year to win a road match against a ranked foe, collecting wins at No. 14 Cal Poly and No. 18 Kansas State.

?-The Huskers remained second in the weekly CBS College Sports/AVCA Coaches poll. NU lost its first-place vote to No. 1 Penn State, but was chosen No. 2 on all 60 of the coaches ballots.

?-The Huskers have won their last 46 Big 12 home matches dating back to the 2003 season and are 79-2  in Big 12 matches under John Cook. 

?-NU’s defense continues to be solid, as the Huskers are second in the Big 12 in opponent hitting percentage (.130). NU has held nine of its 10 opponents under a .200 hitting team hitting percentage. Last week, the Huskers held Texas and Kansas State to a combined .182 hitting, well under both teams’ season averages.

?-Nebraska has allowed more than 20 points only five times in 33 sets this season.

?-Nebraska has won 67 straight home matches at the NU Coliseum dating back to September of 2004 and have dropped only five sets in the last 41 home matches in the building dating back to 2005.

?-When K-State won the second set from the Huskers on Sept. 17, it snapped a streak of 22 consecutive sets won by the Big Red, dating back to Aug. 31 against No. 4 USC.

?-At 10-0, Nebraska is one of six remaining unbeaten teams in the country. The other remaining unbeatens (Miami, Penn State, Michigan, Wichita State and Pepperdine) all enter the week with 12-0 records.

Scouting Kansas
Under coach Ray Bechard (168-148 in 11 years), the Jayhawks are 7-4 on the year following a five-set win over Iowa State on Saturday. KU comes into the match with some momentum, winning five of its last seven matches. Sophomore outside hitter Karina Garlington leads the Big 12 with 4.36 kills per set and is one of four Jayhawks averaging better than two kills per set.

Series History: The Huskers have not lost to KU since the start of Big Eight affiliated volleyball and are a perfect 24-0 against the Jayhawks since the Big 12 began in 1996. NU has posted five straight sweeps of KU dating back to 2005.

Last Meeting: Behind 17 kills from Sarah Pavan, Nebraska swept Kansas, 3-0, (30-16, 30-25, 30-26) in the 100th consecutive sellout at the NU Coliseum on Oct. 20, 2007. Pavan finished with 17 kills, three blocks and a pair of aces, as the Huskers hit .303 on the evening. Christina Houghtelling totaled 10 kills and nine digs, while limiting the Jayhawks to just .151 hitting as a team.

Husker Probable Starters
MB - #17 Amanda Gates: 6-2, Sr., Columbus, Neb. - Gates brings extensive experience in her fourth season in the program and first as a full-time starter. She averages 1.31 kills and a team-best 1.28 blocks per set, ranking fifth in the Big 12 in that category. She has led NU in blocks five times in 2008, including both of NU’s Big 12 matches. Gates had her best match at No. 18 K-State on Sept. 17, tying career highs in both blocks (10) and kills (eight). She also performed well against No. 4 USC on Aug. 31 with seven kills on .357 hitting and six blocks. Last year, she averaged 1.29 kills and 0.81 blocks per set over 16 matches, highlighted by a season-high eight kills against Texas A&M. As a sophomore, Gates appeared in 23 matches and had a career-high 10 blocks against San Diego in her first career start. Gates will also contend for academic honors, carrying a 3.96 GPA in communication studies.

MB - #15 Kori Cooper: 6-2, Jr., Amarillo, Texas - Cooper is in her third year as a starter at middle blocker.A preseason All-Big 12 selection, Cooper is averaging 2.16 kills on .413 hitting and 1.03 blocks per set. She is fourth in the league in hitting percentage and 10th in blocks. Cooper has hit .500 or better five times this season, including a season-best .875 against New Mexico on Sept. 13. Cooper dominated the inside at K-State on Sept. 17 with a season-high 11 kills without an error and five stuffs. She had her best weekend of the year, averaging 2.50 kills on .636 hitting and 1.50 blocks per set at the Players Challenge to earn all-tournament honors. Last year, Cooper averaged 2.31 kills and 1.01 blocks per set, ranking seventh in the Big 12 in hitting percentage (.356). She reached double figures in kills in seven matches, highlighted by a career-high 14 kills in a five-set win against Missouri. She was one of NU’s starting middle blockers as a freshman, averaging 1.67 kills and 0.95 blocks per set in 30 contests. Cooper also carries a 3.81 GPA in speech language pathology.

S - #1 Sydney Anderson: 6-0, So., Alta, Utah - Anderson is in her first season at NU after spending  2007 with the U.S. National Team in Colorado Springs. The Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year, Anderson averages 11.45 assists, 2.21 digs, and 0.42 aces per set, ranking second in the league in assists and third in service aces. She is 10th nationally in assists in the latest NCAA statistics, and has already recorded three double-doubles, including two in league play. Anderson dished out a season-high 53 assists and added 10 digs while helping NU hit .319 in a win over No. 3 Texas on Sept. 20. At No. 18 Kansas State, she totaled 46 assists, 10 digs and three aces. Anderson has been selected to all three all-tournament teams this fall. Anderson, a three-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week,  collected her first double-double at No. 14 Cal Poly on Sept. 5. Anderson had a career-high five aces in the win over No. 4 USC on Aug. 31. She was a member of the U.S. A-2 National Team at the USA Open in both 2007 and 2008. Anderson began her collegiate career at Utah, earning first-team All-Mountain West Conference honors in 2006. That year, she averaged 12.45 assists, 2.77 digs and 0.76 blocks per set en route to being named both the Mountain West Conference Setter and Freshman of the Year. Anderson totaled nine double-doubles on the year, including a 64-assist, 19-dig performance against Wyoming.

L - #2 Kayla Banwarth: 5-10, So., Dubuque, Iowa - Banwarth is in her first full season as NU’s libero, averaging 3.97 digs and 0.76 assists per set, ranking fourth in the Big 12 in digs. She has reached double figures in digs eight times in nine matches and in 15 of her 17 career starts at NU. She totaled a team-high 15 digs in NU’s win over No. 3 Texas on Sept. 20. Banwarth earned a spot on the Runza/AVCA Showcase All-Tournament team after averaging 4.85 digs per set in wins over No. 2 Stanford and No. 4 USC, including 20 against the Women of Troy. Banwarth closed the 2007 season as Nebraska’s libero and averaged 2.75 digs, 0.45 assists and 0.17 service aces per set on the year. Banwarth totaled a career-high 21 digs versus Michigan State in the NCAA Regional semifinal. She was a three-time all-state selection at Wahlert Catholic High School in Iowa and was a Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection in 2007.

OPP - #4 Lindsey Licht: 6-5, So., Aurora, Colo. - Licht moves into the right side hitter spot replacing four-year All-American Sarah Pavan. Licht averages 2.64 kills and 1.03 blocks per set this season and has hit .450 or better three times. She comes off the best match of her career, establishing personal bests in kills (17), attempts (30) and hitting percentage (.500) against No. 3 Texas on Sept. 20. Licht put together a solid match  at No. 18 Kansas State with 12 digs, seven blocks and six kills. She tied her then-career high with 10 kills and added four blocks against LSU on Sept. 12.  She had a 10 kills on .450 hitting against No. 2 Stanford and had a career-high eight blocks against No. 4 USC. As a freshman, Licht appeared in 13 matches, averaging 0.59 kills per set in 25 contests. Licht was a two-time Mizuno/Volleyball Magazine All-American and was a Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection in 2007.

-or- DS - #5 Rachel Schwartz: 5-9, Sr., Lincoln, Neb. -  Schwartz is one of NU’s primary defensive players, averaging 1.91 digs and 0.21 service aces per set. She turned in one of the best efforts of her career at Kansas State on Sept. 17, with a season-high 17 aces while handling nearly all of the Huskers’ passing duties. Schwartz had seven digs in both of the Huskers’ matches at the Players Challenge, and matched a career best with three aces against Tulane on Sept. 6. In 2007, Schwartz ranked 11th in the Big 12 in digs, averaging a career-high 3.66 digs and 0.16 service aces per set. She totaled double figures in digs in 17 matches, including a career-best 21 digs against  MU.

OH - #10  Jordan Larson: 6-2, Sr., Hooper, Neb. - Larson  is a two-time All-American and one of the nation’s best outside hitters. She was chosen as the preseason Big 12 Co-Player of the Year with Texas’ Juliann Faucette. This fall, Larson is averaging 3.88 kills, 2.73 digs and 0.42 service aces per set, ranking third in the league in aces and points and fourth in kills. She was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, as she averaged 5.00 kills on .319 hitting, 2.62 digs and 0.50 blocks per set in wins over Texas and K-State. Larson had a match-high 19 kills and 10 digs in the win over the Longhorns on Sept. 20. Larson carried the Huskers to a win at K-State, matching her career best with 21 kills on .372 hitting and adding 10 digs and two blocks for her second double-double of the year. She was named to the all-tournament teams in each of NU’s first three events and was chosen as MVP of the Players Challenge after averaging 3.83 kills, 0.60 aces and 0.67 blocks per set. She had 11 kills and 11 digs in a win at No. 14 Cal Poly on Sept. 5 and earned AVCA Showcase All-Tournament honors after totaling 27 kills, six service aces and 19 digs in wins over No. 2 Stanford and No. 4 USC. Larson was a third-team AVCA All-American in 2007 after averaging 3.45 kills, 3.18 digs, 0.51 aces and 0.63 blocks per set. The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2005, Larson averaged 4.13 kills and 3.50 digs per set in 2006 and was the only player in the Big 12 to rank in the top 10 in kills and digs.

-or - #19 Tara Mueller: 6-0, So., Scottsdale, Ariz. - Mueller moves into the starting outside hitter role and  averages 3.24 kills and 1.90 digs per set, ranking ninth in the league in kills per set. She has been in double figures in kills five times, including 14 kills against Texas on Sept. 20. In that match, she recorded her first career double-double with 14 kills and a career-high 11 digs. Mueller was selected to the  Cal Poly all-tournament team after averaging 3.67 kills, 1.67 digs and 0.78 blocks per set. She matched her personal best with 15 kills against Tulane on Sept. 6 and had 13 kills on .440 hitting and seven digs against No. 14 Cal Poly on Sept. 5. Mueller opened the year with a career-best 15 kills in a sweep of No. 2 Stanford on Aug. 29.  Mueller averaged 1.27 kills on .211 hitting, 0.95 digs and 0.36 blocks per set in 13 matches in 2007. A Volleyball Magazine Fab 50 selection, Mueller was the 2005 Gatorade Player of the Year in Arizona and started for the U.S. Junior National Team in 2007.

Licht’s Night Helps Huskers Topple Texas
Behind a career-high 17 kills from Lindsey Licht, No. 2 Nebraska remained undefeated with a 3-1 victory (25-17, 21-25, 25-23, 25-18) over third-ranked Texas Saturday night at the NU Coliseum. Licht shined brightest in front of a sellout crowd and a national television audience, pounding home 17 kills and hitting a career-best .500 on 30 swings.The 6-foot-5 sophomore also chipped in three blocks in helping Nebraska complete an impressive first week of Big 12 action.

Licht was one of several Huskers who turned in strong performances against the Longhorns, as three Huskers recorded double-doubles in the match. All-American Jordan Larson posted her third double-double of the year with a match-high 19 kills and 11 digs while sophomore Tara Mueller chipped in 14 kills ? one off her career best ? and 11 digs for her first career double-double.

Sophomore setter Sydney Anderson was the third Husker to record a double-double, as the sophomore finished with a season-high 53 assists and 10 digs, while guiding the Huskers to a .319 hitting percentage. It was the third time in the last four matches NU hit over .300 and made more impressive by the fact that Texas had limited its first seven opponents to a combined .143 hitting percentage.

Oct. 4 Match vs. Colorado Set for 3 p.m.
Nebraska officials announced that the second-ranked Huskers’ Big 12 volleyball match against Colorado on Saturday, Oct. 4, will start at 3 p.m.

The start time for that NU-CU volleyball match had been listed as TBA until the kickoff time for the Nebraska-Missouri homecoming football game was announced. That football time was announced Monday with an 8 p.m. kickoff on ESPN.

Larson, Anderson Lauded by Big 12
A pair of Nebraska players were honored Monday, as Jordan Larson was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week, while Sydney Anderson was selected as the conference Rookie of the Week.  Larson earned the league’s offensive honor for the first time in 2008 ? the fourth weekly award of her career ? after averaging 5.00 kills on .319 hitting, 2.62 digs and 0.50 blocks last week. Larson posted two double-doubles, including a 21-kill, 10-dig effort at K-State on Sept. 17.

Anderson picked up the rookie award for the third time in four weeks after tallying 12.39 assists per set while averaging 2.50 digs, 0.88 kills and 0.38 service aces in wins over No. 18 Kansas State and No. 3 Texas.  She guided four different players to career bests in kills during the course of the week, dishing out a season-best 53 assists and adding 10 digs against No. 3 Texas.